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concurrent

/kənˈkɝrənt/

Existing, happening, or acting at the same time

From Latin con- (with) + Latin curr- / curro (run).

adjective
noun
con-
Latin
AI-inferred
con- (com-), “with, together”
A prefix expressing joint action or togetherness; it assimilates to neighboring sounds.
Old French
Verified
con-
Inherited as a productive prefix in words formed from Latin compounds.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
curr- / curro
Latin
AI-inferred
currō, currere, “run”
The verb supplied the idea of movement or proceeding.
Latin
Verified
concurrēns (concurrentem), “running together; happening at the same time”
The present participle of concurrere, literally “running together,” also developed senses involving clashing and joint action.

from Latin concurrēns, present active participle of concurrō (“happen at the same time”)

Old French
Verified
concurrent
Borrowed from Latin as a term for things acting or occurring together.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
Middle English
Verified
concurrent
Recorded by the late 14th century with meanings including acting in conjunction or contributing to the same effect.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
Combined
Latin concurrēns / concurrere
The prefix con- (“together”) joins currere (“run”), producing the image of things running together.
Middle English
Verified
concurrent
The word entered English from Old French; its sense broadened from joint action to simultaneous occurrence.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
Late Middle English
Verified
concurrent
By the late 15th century, it could suggest running side by side.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
Modern English
Verified
concurrent
It can mean simultaneous, contemporary, jointly effective, or—especially in law—shared by two authorities.

from Old French concurrent or directly

+1 more source
Modern English
concurrent

Picture two streams racing downhill and joining in the same channel: that is the mental scene hidden inside concurrent. Latin concurrere combined con- (“together”) with currere (“run”), although concurrere could also mean to rush together, assemble, or even clash—so “running together” was not always peaceful. English picked up concurrent through Old French, and the word is attested by the late 14th century; by the late 15th century it could describe things running side by side. Its running root has left tracks all over English: a current flows, a course is something run, and to recur is to run back again. In legal language, “concurrent jurisdiction,” recorded from 1767, turns the image into institutional machinery: two courts can run on parallel tracks, each possessing the same authority.

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